Automatic weighing and recording apparatus



E. H. AMET.

Patnte d July 10, 1888;

No. '385,900. I

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( d l.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Ej.. AMBT;

AUTOMATIG WBIGHI'NG: AND) BEGORDING APPAEATUS. No. 385,900. pPatented. July 10, 1888.

702" fzesses (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3'.

E. H. AMET.

AUTOMATIO WEIGHING AND REGORDING APPARATUS.

No. 385,900. g t ed July 10, 1888.

P', i F f a Q H ;i 7712' F 0 2 a (m i a 9 J-.JJJ J 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

E. H. AMET.

AUTOMATIG WEIGHING AND REGORDING APPARATUS.

No. 385,@00. Patented July 10,`188 8.

w? fuess e ATES PATENT EIVXRD H. ANET, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HERBERT A.

STREETER, OF SAME PLACE.

:TMATiC %GHNG AND RECORDiNG APPARATU&

SPECIFICATEON fore-:ing ;sari of Letters Patent No. 385300, date July 10, 1888.

Serial Yo. 959.155. (No model.)

Be it known that i, EDWARD H. ANET, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chi cage, in the eounty of Cool( and State of lllinois have inventcd a new and useful Improvement in Automatic NVeighing and Recording Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatee to automatic scales.

The object of my present in vention is to provide a scale apparatns which will operatc antomatically to w persons as they step upon the piatform of the scale and to print or record the weight of each upon a card which is automatically fed to the machine and delivered therefrom so that each person weighed may have or take the card with his weight printcd lhereon. 'The cards may contain other printed matter-as, for example, business advertiseinents of the firm or person owning or renting the scale. The scale thns becomes not only a convenicnce to the public, but a good and continnous means of advertisemcnt.

My invention consists, in connection with a sealc having` a variable eonnterpoise beam Or lover, a printing-wheel operated by the movement of the Variable connterpoise-hean, and

an impression lover or block, of a card recepracle and a device for automatically 'fccding the cards one hy one from said rcceptacle between the priuting wheel and inpressionblock.

it further consists, in connection with such elements or devices, in an inpression iever or block provided with a slot, groovc, or receptacle te receive the card as it is fed forward from the eard-holder, so that the imprcssionblock itself will hold and guide the card while it is being forced against the type on theprino ing-wheel.,

It further consists in connection with the same in a stole-platform provided with a movable step or trcadle connected with the eardfeed slide and with a weight for operati ng said slide, so that the person stepping on the platform to hewei rcd will thns retract the cardfeed slide and raise the weight by which the card-feed slide is moved forward.

lt further consists in a cardfecd slide provided with a catchlever or pawl to hold it in its retracted position nntil said catch-lover is released by the person being weighed. This lalter is done or preferably done by providing the scaleplatform with a contactpiece, which closcs an elcetric cireuit when the scaleplatform is depressed by the weight of the person standing on the platform.

It further consists in the novel devices and novel combinations of devices heroin shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the aceompanying drawingsnvhich form a part of this speeification, and in which similar letters of reference indicate like paris, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial plan View looking down from line 2 2 of Fig. i. Fig. 3 is a Vertical section on line 3 3 ol' Fig. 2. Fig. i is a vertical section on line 4 of Fig. 2. Fg. 5 is a vertical section on line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. G is a vertical seetion on line 6 G of Fig. l, and Fig. 7 is a View showing a card with a weight as printed thereon by the machine. 8 is a cletail View of the Contacts for closing the circuit which operates the impression-block. Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of the niovable platform or step in front of the scale-platform by which, either directly or indirectly, the printing or recording mechanism of the seale is opcrated or weight raised for Operating it by the weight of the person to be raised preliminary to his stepping onto the scaleplatform. Fig. 10 is a Vertical section through the scale platform and n1oV able step or platform in front thereof.

In said drawings, A represents the frame of the scale; B, its platform; C, its variable counterpoise; 7), one of the levcrs or beams connecting the platform with the variable counterpoise, and c a link connecting the end of the lover b with the counterpoise C, or with the rach c',secured thereto; D, the printingwhcel; d, its shaft, and (Z the gear thereon meshing with the rack c', so that the notion of the variablc connterpoiselever I will be 'communicated to the type-wheel D. All these parts may be of any ordinary or well-known construction.

As shown in the drawings,the variable counterpoise 0 consists of a spring. Other variabh eounterpoises may, however, be used-as, for example, a weight submerged or partially submcrgcd in a liquid.

E is an inking roller or pad mounted on the end of the lever E', which vibrates horizontally and transversely across the periphery of the type-wheel D, having a vertical shalt or pivot, e, to which it is rigidly secured.

F is the imprcssion block or lever, pivoted atfto the frame of the machine. It is furn'shed with a receptacle, f', for the card to be printed. This receptacle may consist of a horizontal slot or groove cut in the impression block, but is preferably made by securing a separate plate, f on the under face of the impression-block, the plate being furnshed with shoulders at its side edges, so as to leave a space between it and the impressioublock equal to the thickness of a single card. A slot or opening, f in the central portion ot the platef permits the type on the printing-wheel to come in contact with the card in the impression-bloek. This opening should bewide enough in the direction of the periphery of the printng-wheel to permit three consecutive numbers or marks on the printing-wheel to be printed upon the card, as indicated in Fig. 7. The purpose of this is to indicate fractions of apound by the position of the numbers in respect to the poi nter or arrow printed upon the card'at the middle thereof. The pointer or arrow may be previously printed upon the card, or it may be printed thereon by a fixed type secured to the frame of the machine at one side of the type-wheel and on a level with the type on the periphery o'f the wheel.

G is the card-holder, consisting, preierably, of a box or rec'eptacle having a weighted followcr, G', connected by a tleXible chain or cord, G with the removable cover G The bottom g of the card-holder is furnished with one, two, or morelongitudinal slots,g'.through which the lugs h on the card-feed slideH project, so as to push or feed the bottom card out through the slot or opening g` in the end of the box and force it into the receptacle f' in the impression block or lever. The slide H reeiprocates in suitable guides,H',secured to the' frame of the machine just under the eardbox G, and the feed-opening f is just large or wide enough to pernit a single card to pass out at a time.

The reciprocating feed-slide H is moved forward by a weight, J, and retracted bya movable step or foot-lever, J', arranged in front of the scale-platform B, and which is connected with the feed-slide through the bent lever j, pivoted at j' to the frame, the long arm j of which is connected to the slide by the coi-d j which passes over the pulleys j j and connects with the weight J, so that the same movement will raise the weight into position. The step J Vibratcs up and down, being depressed by the weight of the person stepping thereon engage the slide H or the projeetion or nctchthereon.

The shaft d of the printing-whecl D is journalcd on comparatively large anti friction wheels or roliers dbut to cause the mechanism to weigh quickly with certainty and accuracy to the fraction of a pound I combine with thescale, its novable counterpoisc, print ing-wheel, and sha'ta light vibrating hammer, K, which gently and continuouly taps the shaftdof the printing-wheel atappint slightly above its center line or aXis, by which means any frictional sticking of the parts will be obviatcd and the type wheel prevented from coming to rest at any other point than .the true balance for the person or weight being` weighed on the scale-platform. This shaft tapper or hammer K is vibrated or prefcrubly vibrated by an electro-magnet, 7:, included in a normally-open circuit, Ic', which is closed by a con'- tact-piece, k secured to the movablc platform B of the scale, that makes connection with the contact 10 when there is a person or weight on the scaleplatform. The armature of the magnet is secured to the pivoted hammer K, and the same is constructed and operates like the ordinary electric bells to make and break the circuit at each stroke by the rebound of the hammer when it strikes the shaft, the circuit being broken by the vibrating hammer or ar mature at the contactpoint in. The batte'y is represnted at By this means the moment a person steps on the scaleplatform the hammer K will begin to opcrate or tap the shaft d, and so continue until the person is weighed and steps off the scale-platform.

' The inking-lever E' is operated or may be preferably operated by an electro-magnet, N, the armature N' of which is secured rigidly to the shaft or pivot e of the lever E'. A spring, N, furnished with an adjusting screw, N, serves to retraet the inking-lever. The magnet N is included in a normally-open circuit, n, which is closed by a movable contactpiece, n', which is connected with and opcrated by the seale-platform B making conncction with the fixed spring-contact n The circuit n is not closed at once by the movement -of the platform B, in order to give time for the printing-wheel to reach a true balance and come to rest before the inking-lever and impressionlever are operated. This result is effected by mounting the contact n' on the shatt n of an cscapement-wheel, the notion ot" which is regulated by an escapemcnt, n Motion is communicated from the scale-platform B to the shaft n througha pinion, a meshing with a gear, ai, which is oscillated by a lever, n con- SEBOG nected to the smile-platform by a spring, a". A spring, n connected at one end to l'ranie A, returns the lever to place. The contact 'n' is secured in a hard-rubber or insulating` disk or wheel, a journaled on the shaft a and connected rigidly with the escapenient-wheel ai A pawl, n pivoted on said disk a, engages a ratchet, a, seeured to the shaft if, so that the rotation of the shaft by the lever a will also rotate the contact-carrying disk and the es capeinent wheel. The escapenent wheel causes the contact-wheel a to move slowly, and maybe so tined as to close the cireuit any desired or suitable length of time after the person steps upon the platform B and ncccssary to allow the printing-wheel to rea( h the true balance and come to rest. The spring` or yielding connection a brtwcen the lever n and the scale-1 latforn pernits the platform to desccnd to the full limit of its notion with out straining the slow-inoving lever n The inipressionlever F is operated or is prel'erably operated by an electronagnet, P, included in a normally-open circuit,p, which is closed after the inking-lever is operated to ink the type by said lever inpinging or pressing against the novahle or spring contact p', which niakes connection with the contactp (See Figs. 2 and 8.) A spring, P', retraets the inpression lever and holds it in such position ready to receive a card froni the card-holder.

The spring-paul l' is operated to release the eardfecd slide, by an electro-magnet, Q included in a normally-open eircuit, g, which is closed by the novable contact q' making connection with the fixed contact The contact q is prel'erably a inercury contact, and the contact q' is secured to a lever, q'"', pivoted at q" to the l'rame, the long arni q ol" which lever projects over the inpression block or lever F, so that the return movement ot' the inprcssion block or lever will operate said contact-lover (f. The spring P' retracts the inpression block or lever F by a quick novenent, and thus by a blow causes the lever to vibrate and dip its lighter contact end into the ncrcnry contact q'i Almost as soon as the cireuit is thus closed the long` and heavier end of the lever g descends, and thus opens the circuit. This circnit need be closed but an instant in order to operate the pawl 72' and release the cardfeed slide.

In operation, a card being already in place in the card receptacle of the inpressionblock, the person to be weighcd, by stepping` upon the novahle step J', rctracts the card-feed slide into positioinwhere it is held by the springpawl until the person is weighed and his weight printed upon the card in the inpres sion-bloek. By stepping upon the scale-platform the shaft tapper circuit 'lt' is closed, and the tappcr thus setin operation while the printingwhcel is reaching the true balance and coming` to rest. By the tine the printu ing-wheel i) comes to rest the slow-inoving escapeincnt governed platfornropernted con tact n' will close the inking-levercirenit n, and

th us opcrate the same and ink theproper type on the wheel D. After the inking is done, the inking-lever will move the contact p' and close the iinpression lever circnitp, and thus cause the inpressionblock F with the card thereiu to strike against the type on the printingwheel and printthe weight upon the card. The return movement of the printngdever F eloscs the circuit q and releases the cardfeed slide l'ron' its holdingpawl h', thus feeding another ca-d froni the cardholder into the npression-block F, and therehy pnshing the printcd card ont and delivering it upon the delivery-table R.

It will be observcd that the motive power for Operating the iinpression lever and inker is the clectro-nagnets, while the card eed slide is operated by the weight J and step J I pre er to operate the inking and impression levers by electro inagnets; but they nay be operated by other neans, and the card-feed slide nay also, if desired, he operated by a magnet. lt should also be observed that instead ot' op` erating` the circuit-closing contact froni the seale-platforni, keys or push-buttons inay le furnished for Operating these Contacts by hand if desired. That shown in the drawings,however,is the Inost pert'ected and improved form of ny invention and that which I prefer to eniploy in practicing the same.

l. The conbination, with a scale having a variable countei'poise and a printing-wheel connected with and operal'ed by one of the beans or levers of the scale, ol' a eard-holder adjaeent to said printing-whecl and cardl'eed slide for l'eeding the cards one by one froni said card-Holder to said printing-wheel, subslantially as specified.

2. The conihination, in a weighing and recording seale, of its variable counterpoise, a printing-whccl and irnpressionblock, with a card-holder adjacent to said printing-wheel, and a card-feed slide for feeding the cards one by one ironi said card-holder to and between said pri nting wleel and inpression-hlock,substantially as specified.

3. 'l`he conibinatioin in a weighing and recording scale, ol' its variable eountcrpoise pri ntingwvheehand inker,with an impressionblock having receptacle to receive and hold a single card, a eardholder, and a card-feed slide l'or delivering the cards one by one froni said card-holderintotheinipression-block substantially as specified.

t. Thecombination, in a weighing and recording scalcf its platform, variable counter poise type-wheel, and inipression-block,with a card-holdena card-feed slidcnnd a novahle step in front ot' the seale-platforni for operating or retracting said cardl'ecd slide, substantially as specified.

5. The combination, in a weighing and re cording scaleol` its ilat-form, varialle counter poise, type-wheel, and inpression-block, with a card-holder,a cardfeed slile,and a movable step in front of the scale-platforn for oper- IlO I ating or retracting said card-feed slide, a

weight, and a cord and pulleys, substantially as specified.

' 6. The combination of a recording and weighingscale with card-holder G,havin g slotted bottom g and opening %card-feed slide H, having upwardly-projecting feed-luge h, weight J, movable step J',and a cord and pulleys connecting said weight and movable step, substantially as specified.

7. The conbination of a recording and weighingscale with eard-holderG,having slotted bottom g and openinggeard-fced slide H, havingupwardly-projecting feed-lugsh, weight J, movable step J', bent leverj, cord j and pulleys f, substantially as specified.

8. The combination of a recording and weighingscale with card-holder G,having slotted bottom gand opening gcard-feed slide H, having upwardly-projecti ng feed-lugs h,\veight J, movable step J', bent lever j, eordj pulleys ji catchlever h', and catch projeciion h on said slide H, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of a recording and weighing scale with card-holder G,having slotted bottom g and opening %card-feed slide I-I, having upwardly-projecting fecd-lugsh,\veight J, movable step J', bent lever j, cordj, pulleys ji catch-lover h', catch projection h on said slideH, and an electro-magnet for closing said calcl-lever h', substant-ially as specified.

10. The combination,witl a scale platform, levers, and counterpoise, of a movable type or printing device connected with and operated by one of the scale-levers, an impression-block, a card-holder a djacent to said imprcssion-block, and a device for feeding the cards one by one into position for printing be tween said movable type or printing-device and said inpression-block, substantiully as specified.

11. The conbination, with a recording and weighing scale having a vari-able counterpoise and prnting-whcel, of a vibrating hamner to tap the shaft of the printing-wheel and prevent sticking, substantially as specified.

12. The combination, with a recording and weighing scale having a variable counterpoise and printing-wheel, of a vibratiug hammer to tap the shaft of the printing-wheel and prevent sticking, and an electro-magnet for Operating said hammer,snbstantially as specified.

13. The combination, with a recording and weighingscale having avariable counterpoise block or lever, of a card-holder, a card-feed slide,a weight and step-level' for Operating said feedslide, a catch-lever for holding said feedslide retraeted, an electro-magnet, N ,for operating the ike-,an electro-magnet, P, for operatingtheprinting-lever,andanelectro-magnet, Q, for Operating said catch -lever, substantially as specified.

15. The conbination, with a recording and weighing scale, its variable counterpoise, a printing-wheel, an inker, and an -impression block or lever, of a card-holdcr, a card-feed slide,a weight and step-leverfor Operating said feed-slide, a catch-lever for holding said feedslide retracted, an electro-magnet, N, for operating the inker, an electro-magnet, P, for Operating the printing-lever, and an electromagnet, Q, for Operating said catch-lever, a printing-wheel-shaft tapper,K,and an electromagnet for Operating the same, substantially as specified.

16. The combination, with a recording and weighing scale, its variable eounterpoise, a printing-wheel, an. inker, and an impression block or lever, of a card-holder, a card-feed slide, a weight and step-lover for Operating said feed-slide, a catch-level for holding said feed-slide retracted, an electromagnet, N, for Operating the inker, an electro-magnet, P, for Operating the printinglever, and an electromagnet, Q for Operating said catch lcver,said electro-magnetN being included in a normallyopen circuit having a movable contact connected with and operated by the scale-platform, substantially as specified.

17. The-eombination, in a recording and weighing sealc, of its movable platform, with an electric circuit having an Operating-magnet included thercin, a fixed contact and movable contact connected with and operated by said platform for closing said circuit, a dcvice for retarding the motion of said movable contact, and nechanisn provided with a spring or yielding connection 'for communicating motion from said movable platform to said movable contact, substantially as specified.

18. The combination, in a weighing and recording scale, of the scale-platform and printing mechanism, with a movable step or platform in front of the scale-platform for operating the printing mechanism of the scale by the weight of the person stepping onto the scale-platform to be weighed, substantially as specified.

19. Thecombinationofseale-platformB,variable counterpoise C, printing-wheel D, inker E, printing-lever F,with an Operating-magnet. N, its circuit n, contact n movable contact n', shaft n, escapemcnt-wheel of, escapement n pinion n", gear ai, lever u and spring n, substantially as specified.

20. The combination of scale-platform B, variable counterpoise C, printing-wheel D, inker E, printing-lever F, with an Operatingmagnet, N, its circuit n, contact n movable contact n', shaft ar", eseapement-wheel af, escapement n pinion gear nfilever, spring IOO IIO

n insulLtng-dsk n, pnwl u, and ratche; u, substantially as specified.

21. The combination, in a printing and recording scale, of the scale-levers, a va iable 5 counterpoise a typewvheel connected With 4 XVtnesses:

swnging transversely across the periphery OI" said type -wheel, upon which said inkingroller is mounted, substantially as specified. EDXVARD H. AMET.

and operated by one of the scale-leve's, an nkngmollcr, and a vb'ato'y arm or level* H. M. MUNDAY, LEW. E. CUP/Elsa 

